Workers' compensation: provider reimbursement: implantable medical devices, hardware, and instrumentation.

Existing law establishes a workers' compensation system, administered by the Administrative Director of the Division of Workers' Compensation, to compensate an employee for injuries sustained in the course of his or her employment. Existing law requires the administrative director, after public hearings, to adopt and revise periodically an official medical fee schedule to establish reasonable maximum fees paid for medical services, drugs and pharmacy services, health care facility fees, home health care, and all other treatment, care, services, and goods, other than physician services. Existing law separately requires reimbursement for certain implantable medical devices, hardware, and instrumentation, at the provider's documented paid cost, plus an additional 10%, plus sales tax, as specified. Under existing law, this reimbursement formula is operative only until the administrative director adopts a regulation specifying reimbursement for the designated items, as prescribed. This bill would delete the above-described reimbursement specifications relating to implantable medical devices, hardware, and instrumentation.